@sandstone expensive cables at this point will be a total waste
Starting from scratch in a large room
I am hoping to set up my first hi-fi system, but I have some room/equipment constraints and would appreciate some advice.
I am looking at an all-in-one amp and passive speakers. Right now, I am leaning toward a Naim Uniti Nova and KEF R3 speakers. I am a total novice and open to suggestions on both the amp and speakers, however, I do think an all-in-one like the Nova is the right direction for simplicity and space considerations. Other speakers I have considered are the Focal Aria 906 and BW 706 S2. I listen mostly to modern/classic rock, mixed with a little bit of everything, exclusively through streaming (preferably AirPlay).
The challenge is that I have a very large room, but I can’t use floor speakers or standmounts--the speakers will likely have to be on the built-in bookshelves, on a shelf that is 24" deep (it's not really a shelf, more like a wooden countertop on top of a closed cabinet). The room is 33’ x 18’ with 11-foot ceilings. I’ll be listening from either 13 feet or 25 feet. There are rugs covering most of the wood floors, heavy drapes on one of the long walls, and large canvas paintings hung on drywall on the other long wall. I understand I have some pretty major room limitations, but I'd like to have something that sounds as good as possible for around $10-15K. I've read somewhere around here that having two subs might help compensate for the smaller speakers. This is our living room/kitchen area, so I am limited in how many, if any, "treatments" I can make to improve the listening conditions. Would some kind of base between the speaker and countertop make a difference? Thanks very much.
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@deertrail7
When you come to these forums and ask posters what to do, you are going to get all the biases of each poster.
I would suggest doing research including, as a poster above suggested, googling good speakers against the wall. Then I would suggest finding speakers and equipment that you can try out and return if you don't like them.
As merely suggestions, I went to an audio show a few months ago with just bookshelf speakers and the standouts, to me, were the Buchardt Audio S400 Mark II, the KEF R3s, the Totem Sky and the Philharmonic BMR Monitor. I don't know how they do on a bookshelf.
With your budget, you could probably go way up the chain on these or other brands. I recall one YouTube reviewer raving about the Totem Element Fire. Some of these bookshelf speakers will get you down to 30 Hz and probably move some air.
Then when you find your speaker you are going to have to match it with amp/integrated or preamp or mono blocks. Solid state or tube?
So many decisions. |
The OP’s question is is NOT about speakers, it is "starting from scratch in a large room and the challenge is book shelf speakers must be used. So, to start from scratch: 1) Get a room kit from Auralex or Sonitususa.com to treat the room. Call them if you need help choosing one. 2) Select a pair of active speakers that come with a microphone and dsp. If the Paradigms PW600 are too small look at Dynaudio Focus. 3) Measure and adjust until you get a flat frequency response (see the chart in my system profile for an example) 4) Enjoy If you are getting passive speakers fine. Just get an amp that has room correction software from Anthem, Martin Logan, NAD, etc. If you can't get a flat frequency response I don't see why you would want to spend a lot of money on your system.
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I have not read every response to your question, but wanted to pass along a more general perspective for you. First, you have to recognize that Audiogon includes a lot of the audiophile "elites" that simply think about stereo sound in ways that most of us simply cannot replicate or even appreciate in many cases. I would equate it to someone looking for a sports car and having a Camaro/Mustang budget while getting advice from hyper-car owners that do their own maintenance. I'm not in any way trying to disparage these members, but think it's important to understand the wide range of advice you are going to get. My system in total is worth less than some members have spend on a single power cord, yet I only have one friend that has a stere setup that's similar to mine. My setup is limited by my small house and family so I know that it could sound much better if I had the ability to optimize the setup. I find that even with a suboptimal setup it's possible to get sucked into the hobby and appreciate the sound quality. I wouldn't recommend that you spent an astronomical sum on your setup given your constraints, but a nice set of bookshelf speakers, with a subwoofer, and a solid amplifier would most likely result in a setup that you would appreciate. I have a pair of Audioengine A5 speakers in the other room that sound ok, but when I've had them setup next to the TV you can convince yourself that you're listening to my larger speakers. You might even consider a pair of center channel speakers as they would have more drivers while also not having rear ports in most cases. When I was look for some speakers for my father-in-law in years past one of the dealers suggested this as an option. As long as you get a quality set of speakers and a nice amplifier you'll be able to appreciate the more realistic sound even when using them for background music. |
@mceljo , I think you make a fantastic conclusion about the end game is appreciating a more realistic sound. I disagree with this forum being "elite". The recommendation I made of Paradigm PW600 includes, the speakers, the amps, a streamers, the dac, the preamp, and room correction software plus a calibrated microphone on sale at 50% off, $600 all in. You plug it in, download the app, run the calibration and BAM, enjoy. If you have an additional source like a CDP or turntable, plug it in. If the OP needs a sub for the big room it has a sub out too. This is as simple as it comes, hardly elite. |
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